Can you live a long life with MGUS?

Data from the Mayo Clinic showed that the median survival of MGUS patients was 8.1 years compared to 11.8 in the comparable US population. In a prior study from Denmark, 1,324 MGUS patients were found to have a 2-fold higher mortality compared to that of the general population.

Is MGUS anything to worry about?

Usually, MGUS isn’t a cause for concern and has no adverse health effects. However, people with MGUS have a slightly increased risk of developing blood and bone marrow diseases. These include serious blood cancers, such as multiple myeloma or lymphoma.

Is MGUS a form of myeloma?

A new study suggests that a person’s risk of progressing from a benign condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) to multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, can change over time. On average, about 1\% of people with MGUS go on to develop multiple myeloma each year.

How do you know MGUS is progressing?

People with MGUS need to be monitored with blood and urine testing every 6 to 12 months to determine if MGUS is progressing. For a small percentage of individuals, the condition develops into cancerous conditions, such as multiple myeloma or lymphoma.

How do you know if MGUS is progressing?

What does MGUS do to the body?

MGUS does not usually cause any symptoms. But a small number of people with MGUS have numbness or tingling in their hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy), or problems with their balance. This may be because of damage to their nerves caused by paraproteins in their blood.

Does MGUS cause bone pain?

Signs and Symptoms This may be due to nerve damage caused by the paraprotein in the blood. Patients with MGUS should watch for any symptoms, such as bone pain and fatigue, as they might indicate progression to myeloma.

What are the 3 types of MGUS?

There are 3 subtypes of MGUS, namely, immunoglobulin M (IgM) MGUS, non-IgM MGUS, and light-chain MGUS, each with distinct rate and type of progression (Table 1). Table 1.

What does MGUS mean?

Although MGUS is a benign condition, it still requires regular checkups. The critical health concern is the abnormal protein level in the blood and, in the case of MGUS, there’s very little.

What are the symptoms of MGUS?

MGUS causes no symptoms. Diagnosis is often done with a lab test called electrophoresis. Because MGUS is not harmful, it doesn’t need to be treated. MGUS may lead to a more serious condition so checkups are needed throughout your life to find problems as early as possible.

What is the normal range of MGUS?

That’s a very important question. So, in general, MGUS is diagnosed as having less than 10\% plasma cells and a small monoclonal protein, less than 3 grams, and you don’t have any organ damage.

What tests are used to diagnose MGUS?

A diagnosis of MGUS is generally made when results from routine blood tests show an increase in protein levels. Your doctor may request additional specialized blood tests, called serum electrophoresis, which can identify the abnormal antibodies found in the blood. Urine tests can evaluate whether any excess protein is spilling over into the urine.